Better Days
by Nancy Brown
Summary: Demona and Thailog celebrate Valentine's Day in Paris.


Better Days  
by Nancy Brown (nancy@tooloud.northco.net)  
copyright 1996, 2001  
  
Buena Vista/Disney owns the characters and the original ideas  
behind the gargoyles. I just write the stories. The particular  
story is set on Valentine's Day, 1996, a bit (I'm assuming) after  
the events in "Sanctuary." Consider this a spoiler alert.   
Feedback is always appreciated, and thanks to Rat, possible.  
  
Thanks go out to Leva for the inspiration to this one. It is  
dedicated with a great deal of love to the remarkable women of the  
Russell House, from whom this composite has been drawn. Note: This  
story may be on the disturbing side for some. It's a bit more of  
an adult matter than I would normally consider publishing to the  
gargs site, but this is a tale needing telling.  
  
  
  
  
An hour before sunset, she realized it was about time to head  
home. She locked her desk, checked to make certain everything was  
secure, then grabbed her briefcase and her coat. With a quick  
click, she turned off the light and closed the door to her rented  
office.  
  
With a smile, she brushed her fingers across the nameplate on  
the door. Nightstone Unlimited. He was right; it *was* a good  
name, one that fit them both perfectly. The office might not be  
much, but then again, they didn't *need* that much. Their combined  
wealth spoke for itself, without outside accouterment like  
spacious offices or hired nothings to push papers all day.  
  
As she passed the office by the stairs, Mssr. Dechent stepped  
out. She nodded to him as she passed by. Big mistake.  
  
"Ah! Mademoiselle Destine. It is always a pleasure to see  
you."  
  
She sighed inwardly and put on her best smile. "Likewise,  
Monsieur."  
  
She attempted to continue towards the stairs when he asked,  
"Are you headed home?"  
  
"Yes, it's getting late and I have some papers to go over for  
tomorrow." She glanced out the window to see the sun sinking  
closer to the horizon. "If you'll excuse me ... "  
  
She heard his step behind her as he caught up (or down, as she  
was descending the stairs at the time) with her. "I nearly forgot  
to wish you a happy St. Valentine's Day."  
  
"Thank you. It has been lovely."  
  
He smiled at her. "It's a pity."  
  
She stopped. "What's that?"  
  
"Only that one of the loveliest women in Paris is going to  
spend the evening of St. Valentine's poring over contracts."  
  
"Work must be done, monsieur." She continued on her way.  
  
"I suppose it must." He wilted slightly. Good. Maybe he  
would go away now and leave her in peace. They reached the outer  
door to the building, and she prepared to leave him. Again, no  
such luck. "Mademoiselle, may I walk you home?"  
  
Be still, she reminded herself, and smiled at him again, her  
face almost a rictus. She couldn't kill this one right now. They  
were in front of the building, there would be questions, and then  
she would have to move out of her nice little office. "Thank you  
for the kind offer, but I must decline. I'm afraid Mssr. Thailog  
would be jealous."  
  
His eyes registered his understanding, as he said merely, "I  
see. Good night then, Mademoiselle, and walk carefully."  
  
"Good night, monsieur." Idiot, she thought, and felt his eyes  
upon her as she turned towards the cathedral.  
  
The late afternoon was chilly, but she didn't mind it. The  
brisk air felt good, though of course not quite as nice as it did  
beneath her outstretched wings under a luminous full moon. Of  
course, it wouldn't be full tonight, having passed its glory a week  
before, but it was Valentine's Day, and for the first time in a  
millennium, she had someone with whom to share it. That made up  
for the full moon, and then some.  
  
She reached Notre Dame without incident, then checked her  
surroundings before she slipped inside to the staircase she had  
discovered. She paused at the bottom of the stairs, savoring the  
holy darkness of the shadows around her. She was safe here, safer  
than she had been since the fall of the castle. This ancient city,  
by design or accident, had become home. The thought made her  
smile. She simply hoped her love was in a better mood tonight than  
he had been. Slowly, she climbed the stairs.  
  
When she reached the roof, she looked out into her city, where  
the evening sun was turning everything the most incredible shade of  
crimson imaginable. She set the briefcase down and made her way to  
the edge in order to better watch the bruised purple clouds  
circling the angry red giant in the sky. At her age, few things  
could bring her to a state of awe, but since her transformation,  
the risings and settings of the sun continued to fascinate her  
beyond her ability to explain. She'd tried describing the  
experience to Thailog a few weeks before, but he had only listened  
for a minute before telling her how inane she sounded.  
  
Gently, majestically, the sun slipped into the awaiting  
skyline, where it lingered for an instant among the buildings and  
was gone like a dream. As it disappeared, she heard the now-  
familiar crackling of stone, but did not turn to see her love  
emerge from his slumber like a large babe from a misshapen egg.   
She'd seen him awaken enough to know the process, and she'd done it  
herself enough times to know the itchy feeling of stone upon newly-  
revitalized skin just before the surge of pure energy flowing  
through her veins.  
  
Besides, she had more important things suddenly on her mind,  
as her body was seized by a spasm of searing pain. She clutched  
her stomach and screamed, knowing the intensity it would bring but  
unable to stop herself, as she had been unable every evening for  
the past five months. Her back was afire, and she felt her skin  
stretching and then tearing to accommodate her sudden change in  
physique. Her hands ached as one finger merged with the skin of  
her palm, and pulled the rest into deadly talons.  
  
Moments later, her metamorphosis was complete, leaving her  
gasping in residual pain, but alive, well, and a gargoyle. She had  
fallen sometime during the process, and found herself staring up  
into her love's face. She smiled at him weakly, and he pulled her  
gently to a standing position.  
  
"Good evening, Night Angel," he murmured, drawing his wings  
around her. "How were things at the office?"  
  
She placed her arms around his waist. "Business as usual. We  
finished negotiating the contract for that exporter you wanted, and  
we're closing the deal tomorrow at noon."  
  
"Good." He placed his lips against hers in a quick kiss. "I  
told you you'd pick up on this business fast, didn't I?" She  
nodded. "Let me look over the contract to make sure the fine print  
is in our favor."  
  
"All right."  
  
She wished he would trust her more on these deals. She *was*  
perfectly capable of making a contract negotiation after all. She  
supposed it helped him feel as though he were doing something  
constructive for the corporation. She opened her briefcase to dig  
out the relevant papers, while he stood behind her with his hands  
at her shoulders. She allowed herself a contented sigh. She liked  
it when he held her like that. It reminded her of how Goliath used  
to ...  
  
She frowned, still looking for the contract. She didn't enjoy  
thinking about Goliath anymore, not even planning her revenge upon  
him. It was bad enough that he was spending all his time with that  
pathetic human Elisa Maza, but the last time she had seen him,  
there had been another female gargoyle with them as well, a young  
female who looked a little as she had been long ago. It would be  
just like a man to replace her with a younger model. She refused  
to consider the possibility that she had done the same when she had  
fallen in love with Thailog.  
  
Now where were those damned papers?  
  
"You *did* bring them with you, didn't you?"  
  
"Of course I did. They've just gotten mixed in with the other  
things in here." She hoped.  
  
"Well, if you cleaned that thing out, you might be able to  
find something."  
  
"But then I wouldn't be as amused looking for it."  
  
She felt a sudden sharp pressure against her shoulders as he  
dug his claws into her. "Don't joke about the company, Demona."  
  
She pulled her arms away. "Who's joking?" Damn. Now that  
she thought about it, she remembered exactly where the contract  
was: right in the center of her desk, where she had placed it so  
that she wouldn't forget to bring it home. "My love, I think I  
left the contract at the office."  
  
"You *what*?" He jerked her suddenly around to face him.   
"How could you be so stupid? I told you specifically that I wanted  
to see that before we signed!"  
  
"It's not such a big problem. I can just go back and pick it  
up tonight."  
  
His laugh was a quick bark. "And I suppose you're just going  
to walk in the front door to do it, hm?" He indicated her wings.   
"You're not exactly in Cindy Crawford mode tonight."  
  
He was right, of course. "I can cancel the meeting tomorrow,  
then, and postpone it until Friday. That will give you the chance to  
look at it first."  
  
"An actually semi-intelligent idea! But we can't afford to do  
it. We can't give him the chance to have second thoughts. Make  
him sign tomorrow while he thinks he's got the upper hand. Friday  
might be enough time for him to find out otherwise." His face grew  
dark. "But if I look over the contract tomorrow night and find out  
that you've ruined it, the capital we lose will be coming out of your  
half. Do you understand?"  
  
"Of course." It was only fair, she thought. No reason to  
make him pay for her mistakes.  
  
"Good." Then he smiled brightly. His smiles always managed  
to fill her with a warm comfort that she had been long missing, and  
she returned it gladly. "Well, since we can't work on business  
tonight, let's enjoy ourselves. We'll take the night off and go  
flying somewhere. After all, it *is* Valentine's Day." He pulled  
her close to him, and she tensed for an instant, fearing he was just  
taunting her, before she let herself enjoy his touch.  
  
"That sounds lovely. Where do you want to go, my love?"  
  
"I was thinking of perhaps having dinner on top of the Eiffel  
Tower. We could see the whole city while we ate." She grinned.   
He knew how much she enjoyed sitting atop the tower. This was  
probably his way of making up to her for last night.  
  
They prepared a quick meal and wrapped it in a wool blanket  
she kept in their alcove. He even carried the bundle as they set  
out across the city.  
  
In the sky, she could finally relax after her long day. The  
negotiation hadn't been easy, but with his advice in her head,  
she'd managed to drive a good deal with the other company. She was  
rather proud of herself. When he saw the contract later, he would  
be too, she hoped.  
  
They touched down lightly upon the tower, and her heart was  
filled with happiness as he set their meal himself. He acted the  
part of the gentleman perfectly, seating her at their blanket as if  
they were at the finest restaurant in the city, and serving her  
cold sandwich like the best pate de foie gras. His manner made her  
laugh, and he soon joined in the laughter with her, his scarlet eyes  
almost glowing in mirth.  
  
As they ate, they watched the few stars that were visible  
above the city lights. She pointed out the constellations to him,  
and told him a story about the Hunter, not the one who had pursued  
her for so long, but the heavenly archer Orion. He listened to her  
with his eyes closed, seemingly entranced by the tale, and when she  
had finished, told her a legend of his own, one programmed into him  
by Xanatos and Sevarius that she had heard before but listened to  
again nonetheless.  
  
For dessert, they nibbled on sweet pastries she had brought  
home the day before, filled with rich chocolate. She had to admit  
that chocolate in any and all forms was a major weakness for her.   
Thailog had pointed out more than once that it was a wonder she  
kept her figure the way she could go through the stuff.  
  
When they had finished eating, they rolled up the blanket,  
then flew back to the cathedral to drop it off. After that, they  
glided hand in hand towards the waning moon.  
  
They didn't speak as they flew, choosing speed and form over  
conversation. It left her time to think, to remember times like  
this long before when another, very similar gargoyle had been  
beside her as they flew into the night. Nostalgia crept into her,  
followed quickly by guilt. He could always tell when she was  
thinking about Goliath, no matter how well she thought she'd hidden  
her expression, and he always grew angry with her. She'd had  
enough of that already.  
  
She wished that she'd remembered the bring the contract home  
tonight. It would have made him happy. After the past few weeks,  
she really needed to make an effort to keep him happy. Ever since  
Goliath and the others had left, he'd been stewing over having been  
thwarted in their plans. Eventually, he'd decided that it had been  
her fault for not checking Macbeth for hidden weapons better. She  
was certain that she had, but Macbeth had to have gotten the gun  
from *somewhere*.  
  
She hadn't helped matters any by the stupid mistakes she kept  
making with the corporation, things like leaving the contract at  
the office, or not handling a merger in the manner he thought she  
should. After all, he was the expert in such matters. She'd  
always hired expendable humans to take care of such petty details  
as taxes, finance charges, and the like. Of course, until just  
recently, she'd been unable to show her face in public for obvious  
reasons, so she'd had no experience.  
  
It had all finally come to a head the night before. He'd  
accused her of conspiring with Macbeth against him, and when she  
had pointed out the patent ludicrousness of that, considering  
Macbeth had been her sworn enemy for over nine hundred years, he'd  
reminded her that she'd *married* that so-called enemy. Then she'd  
made the mistake of reminding *him* that the marriage had been his  
bad idea. He'd flown into a rage and struck her. She'd held her  
hand to her face and drawn it away to see her own blood. Then  
she'd started trembling, more from shock than pain, and he'd been  
immediately contrite. He'd held her for the rest of the night,  
apologizing and telling her in the softest tones possible that he  
wished she hadn't forced him to do that.  
  
Her change in the morning had erased all traces of the fight  
from her body. Now she was back in gargoyle form again, and looked  
as she had every other day since the Weird Sisters had linked her  
to Macbeth. No harm done. And now Thailog was being especially  
sweet to her, which was nice.  
  
They must have been flying for hours when he turned to her  
with *that* look smouldering on his face. Wordlessly, they turned  
back towards the cathedral, and the safety it offered from prying  
eyes. With their destination clearly in mind, the trip home was much   
shorter than the one out, and by the time they had reached their  
alcove, they still had plenty of time left before sunrise.  
  
His sharp teeth at her throat startled her for a moment, as it  
always did, while his powerful hands pinned her arms against her  
sides. Then he pulled her off the ground, pinching her a little as  
he did so. She squirmed slightly to relieve the pressure on the  
delicate skin of her inner elbows. He was always rough when they  
did this, especially when she was really only in the mood to relax  
in his arms for the brief time they had until daybreak. Still, it  
made him happy, and she liked to keep him happy, so she went along  
with him. Sometimes she just closed her eyes and listened to his  
voice as he whispered and gasped into the night, and she could make  
herself believe that she was waking up from a long nightmare into the  
embrace of her eternal love.  
  
Tonight, she was anticipating his caress as much as he was,  
and let herself open to the experience, as his hands moved through  
her hair and to the ticklish spots behind her wings. The smile on  
his face was far more tender than was his usual wont, and it  
brought a matching one to her as they began their dance in earnest.  
  
Some time later, he dozed beside her, deep breaths moving his  
frame beneath her fingertips. She cuddled beside his warmth,  
grateful for this peaceful moment. She'd have to wake him shortly,  
so that he could get into place as the sky lightened and turned to  
day, and then she would have to prepare for her meeting later.  
  
She sighed and pulled the blanket near. He'd been so  
considerate to her this time. She hoped it meant the end of his  
fits of anger. Maybe all she needed to do was improve her business  
savvy a little more, and perhaps find herself something attractive  
to wear around him, and watch what she said a bit closer. No major  
changes, just a few alterations on her part here and there for the  
sake of harmony between them.  
  
She would also have to be careful about mentioning things like  
how Dechent had offered to walk her home, for he would get jealous  
over such little things. In fact, if she watched herself, she was  
certain she could keep him from ever getting angry at her, and  
instead keep him focused on getting Goliath and Xanatos out of the  
way, not to mention the rest of the human population of the planet.  
  
Carefully, so as not to disturb him, she placed a hand on her  
shoulder, where his talons had dug in, to feel the sore spots. In  
the dim light, she could see the dark bruises beneath her pale blue  
skin. At least they would be gone shortly, and she would be fine  
again.  
  
She'd considered leaving earlier that day, simply buying a  
ticket and flying anywhere in the world. He wouldn't be able to  
find her if she chose not to be found. She had even gone so far as  
to call the airline for flight schedules, when she'd hung up the  
phone. The thought of leaving frightened her, for it was possible  
that he *would* find her somehow. Aside from that was her simple  
fear of being alone again. Thailog might be rough sometimes, maybe  
even more so than Goliath had ever been, but he told her every  
night that he loved her and only wanted what was best for them  
both.  
  
Finally, she knew that she'd miss him too much. The joy that  
he brought her was more than worth the pain he sometimes caused by  
accident. He never meant to hurt her; he simply hadn't had the  
proper education in how to treat a mate. That could be remedied,  
she was certain. Given enough time, she knew she could make him  
change his ways, teach him to be gentler when they were together.   
If she kept away from Macbeth, she had all the time in the world,  
and he was worth every minute of it. After all, he loved her,  
which was more than she could say for anyone else in far too long.  
  
The dark sky told her instinctively that she still had plenty  
of time to rest here, something she did not do often, for fear of  
being discovered, or yelled at for wasting valuable darkness. There   
would be no more yelling, at least for tonight.  
  
Safe within his arms, she closed her eyes to dream for an hour  
or two of the better days that were sure to come soon.  
  
  
The End  
  
  
  
Author's Note: I don't usually add these to the end, but in this case, I   
think I should. As I stated before, this particular impression of Demona   
is a composite from several women I know. You may also recognize her as   
someone *you* know, perhaps even yourself. If you see in her the   
reflection of a familiar face, know that there is help available, no   
matter where you are or how bad the situation gets. No one deserves to   
be hurt by the person she or he loves, not even Demona.  
  
  
NancyB  
  
Education is the first step to a cure.  



End file.
